When Is Yi Peng 2026 in Chiang Mai, and Where Can You Release Lanterns?

Yi Peng and Loy Krathong 2026 dates

Loy Krathong is held nationwide on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar, which in 2026 is Tuesday 24 November. In Chiang Mai the northern Lanna version, Yi Peng, runs alongside it, and most listings put the main lantern nights on 24 and 25 November 2026. Some programmes list a lead-in evening on 23 November with a smaller lantern parade.

The detailed free programme from Chiang Mai Municipality is usually confirmed only in late October, so the exact parade nights and stage times may still shift. Treat 23 to 25 November as the window and plan to be in town on the 24th at minimum.

If you are travelling around Thailand, Sukhothai runs its own Loy Krathong festival at the Historical Park, listed for 15 to 24 November 2026.

Free events in the city: Tha Phae Gate, temples and the Ping River

Most of what makes Yi Peng memorable costs nothing. The old city is strung with Lanna paper lanterns (khom), temples light candles and lanterns in their grounds, and people float krathongs on the moat and the Ping River.

• Tha Phae Gate: the hub for the municipal opening events, stage shows and, on the final night, the start of the illuminated float parade.

• Wat Phan Tao and Wat Chedi Luang: next door to each other on Phra Pokklao Road; Wat Phan Tao's teak hall lit with lanterns and candles is the most photographed temple scene of the festival. Go before 7pm or expect a slow queue to move through.

• Ping River around Nawarat Bridge: the main spot for floating krathongs. Krathongs are sold along the banks for roughly 20 to 100 baht; pick bread or banana-trunk ones over foam.

Expect gridlock in and around the old city from early evening. Walk or use a songthaew to the edge of the crowds rather than trying to get a car to Tha Phae Gate.

Ticketed mass lantern releases vs. the city

The famous photos of thousands of lanterns rising together come from licensed, ticketed events held outside the city, mostly in Doi Saket, Mae On, San Sai, San Pa Tong and Lamphun. Organisers hold the permits, run a timed release and handle fire safety. The long-running CAD Khomloy event is the best known; its 2026 tickets were reported sold out by early October, with resale listings well above face value.

As listed in October 2026, the cheapest tiers at the various venues ranged from about 1,600 baht to around 6,000 baht per person, with premium tiers running past 10,000 baht. Higher prices usually buy hotel transfers, dinner and better seating rather than more lanterns. Big events go on sale up to a year ahead and the best-known ones sell out first.

Before paying, check that the event names its venue, the organiser and the night (24 or 25 November), and is sold through the organiser or a major booking platform. Read the refund terms: several are non-refundable, and weather can delay releases.

Lantern rules and the airport no-fly zone

Sky lantern releases are banned inside Chiang Mai municipality under a provincial announcement, applied together with Thai aviation law. During the festival the restricted zone around Chiang Mai International Airport extends 4.6 km either side of the runway and 18.5 km beyond each end, covering the whole old city and parts of Mueang, Hang Dong, Saraphi, Mae Rim, San Sai and San Pa Tong districts. Lanterns, kites, balloons, homemade rockets and drones are all prohibited in that zone.

At licensed venues, releases have historically been allowed only within set evening hours (reported as 7pm to 1am); the 2026 order may change this, so follow the organiser's instructions. Releasing your own lantern in town can bring fines and possible prosecution, and Thai police do enforce it on the main nights.

If a lantern you release fails to lift, or a lit one comes down near you, step back and keep it away from wooden buildings, trees and power lines. Do not hold a lantern under your face or clothes while it fills, and keep children well back from the fuel cells. Flying a drone anywhere in Thailand also requires registration with the aviation authority (CAAT) and NBTC, festival or not.

Flights, hotels and crowds

Chiang Mai airport stops flight operations from 7pm on the main lantern nights. In 2025 that moved or cancelled 161 flights (65 cancelled, 96 rescheduled), and in 2023 about 160. The 2026 schedule had not been published by mid-October, so book a flight that lands before late afternoon on 24 and 25 November, and watch for an airline email about retiming. Airlines notify passengers, not hotels.

Hotels in the old city and along the river typically run 50 to 100% above normal rates over the festival nights, and good-value rooms near Tha Phae Gate go first. Book at least two months ahead, on a refundable rate if your event tickets are not yet confirmed.

The overnight train is a solid alternative if flights are pricey or retimed; our guide to the Bangkok to Chiang Mai sleeper train compares the classes. For more to do in the days around the festival, see the Chiang Mai guide and how to pick an ethical elephant sanctuary.

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